Compost or trash bin
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
July 8, 2009 2:42pm CST
A week and a half ago, a friend of mine sprayed the dandelions and since then I have cut the back yard twice. I just bagged the grass and put it in the back to pick up, but then I thought, I need to make some compost and it gets rather hot and i have to protect around my strawberry plants. So I was wondering how soon after spraying for weeds can you use the grass clippings, instead of putting it out in the trash? Thanks.
4 people like this
8 responses
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
26 Jul 09
I eat dandelions, so I wouldn't be spraying them at all. A friend of mine sells dandelion jelly to people.
If I did spray them, I would use vinegar, then you don't have to worry about when something will be useable or not-especially since most fruits are acid loving plants. Salt can also kill things and you can wash the salt off afterward.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
15 Jul 09
I don't know if you can, but if it was me, I wouldn't, I don't use any chemicals on my yard at all and can't stnad that my neighbor does because sometimes the spray goes onto my property..:(
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
9 Jan 10
A friend of mine sprayed the back yard. I would not do that myself, but I guess people assume that I am not speaking of myself. Maybe I should have done that for a new Years resolution: Be specific in telling people what you mean," instead of mundane things such as save more money, keep a schedule, exercise more and things like that.
Oh and my friend told me not to use the grass for compost and to bag it for a couple of weeks - that is, to bag the first growth and then the next week, bag the second growth. He also said that after a good rain it would be all right. However, I did not know if a good rain would cancel out on of the baggings.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
8 Jul 09
I would think it would be okay after a good soaking rain or a good watering so that the chemicals are washed off of the grass/weeds. But it then can be soaked into the roots..so maybe after a few soaking rains.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
27 Jul 09
Thanks for the best response, I really appreciate it alot.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
15 Jul 09
When it rains here, it really pours and we have had at least four good soaks so it should be all right.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
9 Jan 10
You're welcome. Sometimes it rains a lot here and sometimes it does not. Last summer was a wet one but most of the time in August it is quite dry.
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
8 Jul 09
Hello suspensful, I'm not a horticultrist, but I wouldn't have thought the poison would be effective after theweek and a half, especially on the cut grass. However, I think I would get advice from s nursery before spreading it around your valuable strawberries.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 Jul 09
I left the clippings in the back since we already had a good rain three times. So then I will spread it on the bed. The ground is quite hard and it does need softening up.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
16 Jan 10
I guess that is all we can do. We tried to get the city to now spray the Malathon to get rid of the mosquitoes, but it seems there are way too many that covering water spots, and we do need water bowls for the birds. If there were a cheap and effective way to do it it would help although a few of the neighbors have bird houses for birds.
@newzealtralian (3930)
• Australia
13 Jul 09
It would depend on the type of spray they used and what they were spraying for. It was also depend on the strength of the spray and the way the spray was used.
I would say, it is safe to put it into the compost bin, because you still have to wait for it to compost down before using it on your garden.
Having a bit of knowledge of common garden chemicals helps, especially if there is a suspected poisoning from them. I learnt a lot about farm chemicals and how to use and store them, but the same principles still apply to any sort of chemical.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
9 Jan 10
The city here sprays Malathon to get rid of the mosquitoes. And when they spray, we can sure smell it. Also most everyone wants green lawn and get the companies that specialize in weed free lawns spray the grass. If not, we get a whole lot of dandelions. WE know, because we decided not to get the grass weed free because of the cost, and when we got the house renovated, they had to use Roundup to get rid of our lawn and had to dig the lawn up. But before that, before we got the house renovated, there were lots of dandelions in the back yard, so a friend of mine sprayed just the grass in the backyard and avoided the apple tree and strawberry patch. He told me to bag the grass and not compost it and to wait until there was a good rain.
Well when we had the house renovated, we were out for three weeks and it was past planting season when we got back so nothing was harmed.
1 person likes this
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
9 Jul 09
Jeez, I guess I would try to read the label of what your friend used and see if it says anything about it. I know years ago the garden at the house we were renting was completely weeds so I sprayed it all and had to wait two weeks to plant. So I would at the very least dump it all in its own pile and let it sit in the weather for two weeks before using it. If possible I would spray it with water daily to help the poisons leech out of it. I hope this helps... I am no authority of course.. if I was I would be making the Big Bucks lol.
Good luck with whatever you decide, seems a shame to toss them out.
Blessed Be,
Mari
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
26 Jul 09
I threw the first two weeks of grass away, and the other I just let sit and then put it around the strawberries. It did rain a lot so that got rid of any poison there was around. So at least tha,t it is all right.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
8 Jul 09
I certainly wouldn't. Of course, it depends on what kind of poison was used. Some just kill broad-leafed weeds while others won't kill grass but will kill just about everything else.
If I were you I wouldn't take a chance. You don't want chemicals around your food and you really don't know if the chemical has evaporated or might meld with your strawberries. Wait till the next time you mow then I would think the grass would be safe.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
9 Jul 09
This kills broad based weeds, but my friend said he would just spray the grass and keep away from the apple tree and the strawberries, so I guessed it would affect them. Anyway we have had a couple of good rains and we are having a thunder shower right now so that should make it all right to put the grass around the plants the next time i mow the lawn.
